I stumbled on a documentary from 2012 called The Big Easy Express, about a 2011 music tour from Oakland, CA to NOLA via LA headlined by Mumford and Sons operated with all private varnish operated as an Amtrak train. This is another reason I know that despite what everyone says, not everything is available on the interwebs, including the consist for this train. I recognize a SP Daylight baggage car, some Mid-America cars, several domes, including an original CZ dome tail car. Anyone know the full consist of this train? I ran a search of this site looking to see if it had been discussed before, and came up with nothing. Thanks.

Yep, thanks. Once again the most knowledgeable group of railroad experts on the web come through. Thank you.

I was unpleasantly surprised in my search to find that the Trains.com site has no search function. Seems like a major gap.

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J3a-614 [ Wed Feb 07, 2018 12:36 pm ]

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Re: Big Easy Express

Thank you for the compliment, but a lot is just plain luck!

Got interested in what you said, started with the movie (and found the site where that trailer is), then looked up the Railroad Revival Tour itself. Took a chance on looking for "images" in Google, where if you visit a site that hosts an image, you might find something.

And BINGO, an image lead directly to the site with the roster!

Like I said, I got very lucky. That bit took perhaps half an hour, but other times you never find anything!!

Again, thanks for the compliment.

Speaking of concert films, I highly recommend "Down From the Mountain." That one featured the music from "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" with the same people who did the soundtrack, and was filmed in the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville.

Perhaps the most moving parts of the film were the appearances of John Hartford. He was a riverboat enthusiast (and a licensed pilot), very history oriented--and was already suffering from the brain cancer that would kill him about a year after the concert.

Those who remember Hartford will recall how he had this sort of bouncy, slightly loopy stage presence. But there is a sequence in "Down From the Mountain," in which he plays a fiddle solo version of "Man of Constant Sorrow." He looks strange in this part of the film, it's something in his eyes I'd never seen in him before. I can't help but wonder if he was contemplating the brain cancer in this hauntingly beautiful but sad and mournful version of the song. . .

Sorry for rambling, but so many of us like this sort of music that goes so well with our trains, particularly in steam.

It is a great, great piece. Worth the rental or purchase. I sometimes just have it on for background.

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JDLX [ Fri Feb 09, 2018 1:40 am ]

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Re: Big Easy Express

I first heard of the tour shortly after it happened, when Old Crow Medicine Show (a favorite band of mine) spoke of it during an appearance on A Prairie Home Companion. Several years later I learned of the documentary and picked it up, it is one of my favorites. While I strong advise anyone to go buy a copy, the whole thing and many individual clips are available on YouTube. My hands down favorite part of the film is Mumford & Sons doing one of their first hits, The Cave, with the Austin High School Marching Band.

Second favorite would be some of the scenes of all three bands plus others jamming in the baggage car (with open doors) while rolling through some rail yard at three in the morning. Absolutely amazing event.